The camera of the S24 Ultra is really humble

Robert Triggs, the Authority on Android.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is near the top of the list when it comes to Android flagship cameras. Samsung maintains its reputation for including a versatile and well-rounded camera setup, and the phone’s global appeal makes it a worthy winner. However, there are probably other camera flagships available if you don’t mind deviating from the norm and giving something different a try. I used the Xiaomi 14 Ultra during a photo walk in Singapore, and I think it has a better camera than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Comparison and specifications of the cameras of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

primary image source.

Ultra Samsung Galaxy S24.

200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2SX, f/1.7, 1/1.3-inch sensor, 0.6µm pixel, OIS, AF.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

50MP Sony LYT-900 with f/1.63-f/4 stepless variable aperture, 1 inch sensor, 1 point 6µm pixel size, OIS, and AF.

super wide lens.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

f/2.2, 120° field of view, 1 point 4 µm pixel, autofocus, 12MP Sony IMX564.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

AF, 0 point 7 µm pixel, 122° field of view, 50MP Sony IMX858, f/1.8, and 5cm macro photos.

First zoom camera.

Ultra Samsung Galaxy S24.

10MP Sony IMX754 with 3x optical zoom, f/2.4, 1 point12µm pixel, OIS, and AF.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

f/1.8, 0.7µm pixel, 3.2x optical zoom, OIS, AF, and 10cm macro photos are all features of the 50MP Sony IMX858.

Magnification lens 2.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

50MP Sony IMX854 with f/3.4, 0.7µm pixel size, optical zoom of 5x, OIS, and AF.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Sony IMX858, a 50-megapixel camera with f/2 point lens, 0 point 7 µm pixel size, 5x optical zoom via periscope, OIS, AF, and 30cm macro focus.

front facing camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

12MP, f/2.2.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

f/2.0, 32MP.

Impressive camera setups can be found on both the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The specs sheet does, however, lean significantly in Xiaomi’s favor.

The Android Authority/Aamir Siddiqui.

While putting a premium on a high megapixel count for the primary camera and a high-quality sensor for the second telephoto, Samsung is skipping out on the first telephoto and ultrawide lenses.

In contrast, all four of the 50MP sensors on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are Sony IMX858 sensors with wide apertures, with the 1-inch Sony LYT-900 sensor serving as the primary camera. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra outperforms even the front camera by a significant amount.

The Android Authority/Aamir Siddiqui.

I’ve used both Samsung and Xiaomi’s Ultra flagships for the past few generations, and in my experience, the latter have always been a step ahead. But how do these specs translate in real life? Though Samsung claims to be versatile, in previous tests, Xiaomi outperformed it in terms of individual camera performance. As a result, Samsung’s advantage evaporates when Xiaomi can match it in versatility.

My experience hasn’t really changed between the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I took simple point-and-shoot pictures with both cameras in the ones below, not pausing to deliberately focus on a particular subject. I used the 12point 5MP default mode on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the Leica Vibrant color profile default photo mode is also selected on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. HDR is enabled on auto for both phones.

To be clear, we are looking at these pictures pixel by pixel. You wouldn’t notice any flaws right away if you were holding either phone, taking pictures, and uploading them straight to social media. But you have to be able to withstand criticism from your rivals if you want to be referred to as the best.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s look at the camera samples!

Every photo has a full-resolution version that can be found on Google Drive. Take note of the fact that the majority of the images from the Galaxy S24 Ultra are between 2 and 5MB, whereas the majority of clicks from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra range between 6 and 10MB.

The first set of photos demonstrates how Xiaomi and Samsung handle lighting differently. The brightness of the scene and light diffusion are both improved by the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Conversely, the brightness of the scene appears abnormally dimmed by the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s image of the wall graffiti seems brighter despite the low light, but the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does not hesitate to keep things darker for a more harmonious appearance.

The next sample presents a pretty, social media-ready image of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but it is inaccurate. The samples from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra better capture the reality that had been severely muted by Singapore’s intense midday sun. In the first image, the harsh sunlight is also consistently present in the skin tones, the red caution sign, the yellow road marking, and the white building across. The yellow road marking is brighter and the white building has a yellow tint, but Samsung’s image is a little disjointed. The red on the sign is also muted.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra isn’t scared to take chances and forego HDR, whereas Samsung regularly uses it on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Although the sun did, in fact, blow out the side of the building, Samsung appears to have a better image in the samples of the white building and green bicycle. Xiaomi’s image is closer to what I was seeing with my own eyes and does not artificially compensate for the harsh sunlight with aggressive HDR.

The following series of photos shows the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s yellow-green cast on the floor and walls. The scenes on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are visually appealing but also more accurate. In contrasted areas, such as the shops on the right edges in the first set of photos, where the S24 Ultra struggled a little, it also managed to extract some details.

In the second series of photos, Xiaomi plays with shadows without hesitation, but Samsung seems to brighten the image. This is why the Xiaomi 14 Ultra rather than the Galaxy S24 Ultra more accurately captures the colors that are perceived in darker areas. Though in real life the doors were more caramel brown, Samsung gave them a beige-like hue.

The larger sensor on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra makes for a softer bokeh effect in this flower photo. Here, the variable aperture is in effect, but for these point-and-shoot clicks, I let the phone take care of everything. The end product is a lovely, accurately colored shot. Since the smaller 200MP sensor does not produce any natural bokeh, the Galaxy S24 Ultra captures more of the foliage in focus. Furthermore, the bright sunlight that actually faded the color of the yellow road signs is ignored, emphasizing the yellow color once more.

Since it would take the cameras a moment to determine where to focus among the glass, these are interesting shots for auto mode. In the first image, Xiaomi concentrated on the camera figurine (while maintaining sharp focus on the Leica logo), while Samsung concentrated on the logo. The subsequent photos showed Xiaomi identifying the white camera as the subject of the picture without becoming fixated on any faces, while Samsung seemed to be searching for people reflected in the glass.

My Galaxy S24 Ultra has a noticeable green tint in the softer evening light, especially in comparison to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s performance. I saw the same thing with the primary, 3x, and ultrawide optical zoom cameras, suggesting that the problem is with software processing rather than hardware.

While the Galaxy S24 series made much of its Galaxy AI features, Xiaomi’s devices also come equipped with a number of AI features, such as an AI Ultra Zoom that promises to significantly enhance images magnified up to 30 times. Still, you will need to remain motionless for longer than a few seconds, and from my experience, the feature is most effective when applied to buildings and landscapes.

However, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s AI Ultra Zoom produces better results than the Galaxy S24 Ultra at that zoom range, so it is well worth the investment. Observe that both phones have an optical maximum zoom of 5x when looking at the 30x samples above.

But, as I previously indicated, AI Ultra Zoom struggles when it comes to people, as seen in the images above where it makes mistakes with every face. Therefore, it is advisable that you limit yourself to inanimate objects for it.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra continues to gather more light, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra displays a darker image as the light becomes scarce. The pictures ultimately have a radically different appearance. Once more, the Galaxy S24 Ultra gives the impression that it is an hour past sunset when in fact the image from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is more accurate to the scene at that moment.

In low light, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s response to light bleed on signs and reflections in water is visible. Though the results seem a little overdone in the reflections, I think the Xiaomi 14 Ultra produced more pleasing results.

Who takes these better pictures?

104 points were cast.

Additional camera samples of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Android Authority/Aamir Siddiqui.

I found myself taking a lot more portrait photos than usual with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which was a great companion on this media photowalk through Singapore. These additional Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera samples feature cityscapes, portraits, and, of course, adorable dogs!

The watermark from Xiaomi also has this vibe. It is elegantly done and includes every detail I would need to hunt in one picture. The stock gallery app makes it simple to add and remove content after you take a picture.

Conclusion: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Xiaomi 14 Ultra cameras.

Authority Android / Lanh Nguyen.

It’s unfortunate that my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra experience has been good but not outstanding for a flagship that is regarded as one of the greatest.

Although I value Samsung’s setup’s adaptability, the 200MP primary sensor falls short of my expectations. First of all, my phone’s color reproduction is terrible, and the pictures I take nearly always have a greenish-yellow tint that I have to adjust in post-production. For every picture, especially one involving people or animals, the phone also requires me to remain motionless. Because of her frustration, my coworker Rita was able to resolve the shutter lag issue with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with the images captured by the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I paid $1,300 for them, but they’re not worth it. Samsung believes that it is falling short of expectations given the contrast between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and other flagships, which is at its highest point this year.

Although I’ve been waiting for Samsung to release updates that resolve my problems, none of them—including one that purportedly addressed the white balance—have really made me happy. I can state with confidence that Samsung has lagged behind the competition and that the 200MP primary camera is no longer the best option, having personally purchased and used every Galaxy Ultra since the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The 5x zoom camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is more useful to me than the 10x zoom on the S23 Ultra, which is the only positive aspect of the camera.

Google Authority / Aamir Siddiqui.

Xiaomi not only matches Samsung’s adaptability, but also complements it with technical know-how in the form of a strong specification sheet and a truly beneficial partnership with Leica for lens and calibration work. I can access manual settings on both phones if necessary, but I find that I use the Xiaomi 14 Ultra less frequently than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has never failed me when it comes to point-and-shoot, but the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has on multiple occasions, which is unacceptable for a flagship smartphone of this caliber.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are two phones I would pick if I could only take one picture with one. I’m hoping Samsung considers this input when developing its upcoming flagship lineup. In the same vein, well done Xiaomi—keep it up!

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The Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Display with high resolution.

quick charging.

Superior construction quality.